Spring is here and with it Nowruz, Persian New Year.It's a time to celebrate the coming of new life .wat better than to enjoy it with a feast of bright ,sunny foods.
Cookbook author , chef and first time contributor Andy Baraghani gives his family recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Each dish and each ingredient symbolize something greater. Herbs symbolize rebirth,fish prosperity, and sweet sticky confections mean a year of joy.His recipes are family ones yet tweaked to symbolize the future. He has the traditional a - or thick Iranian soup, full of lemtils and chickpeas.Swiss chard ,dill and parsley give it the Springy greenness.it also requires reshteh a thick flat noodle used in Persian cooking but if you can;t linguine works nicely too.It's topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt mixed with fresh lemon juice .You could also usekashk, an Iranian yogurt sour cream hybrid.The cuisine relies heavily on rice so there is sabzi polo, a saffron infused one that;s flavored with parsley, dill and cilantro along with scallions.A scattering of rose petals give it color and a pretty scent.
One of the highlights of any Nowruz table is egg dishes.Like Easter eggs, they symbolize rebirth and new life. Chef Baraghani gives his version of Kuku Sabzi'an herb and scallion frittata. These are five large eggs cooked with a mix of chopped cilantro,parsley dill and scallions. There is also turmeric and fenugreek added for color and flavor.It's cooked in oil in a covered skillet. The final dish should have a dark green or brown color.It's the put into the broiler for four minutes or until the top is set.It's served with flatbread,Torshi or Persian pickles or Mast-o-khar a yogurt and cucumber dish. There is also a recipe for this.It's three Persian cucumber blended with Greek yogurt. Sizzled or fried mint leaves are added a long with garlic, pistachios and lemon juice.For a main course there is fish bathed in saffron. Fish symbolizes prosperity and abundance. Chef Baraghani suggests using cod halibut or salmon.It;s slow cooked,He cooks it with leeks sauteed in a lemon and garlic blend, The fish is put over this and then warm saffron water (water with crushed saffron in it) is poured over all of this The fish is then baked in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for twenty five to thirty minutes.It would be good served with any of the rice dishes.
Nowruz is a time of feasting and welcoming the New Year. Celebrate with symbolic and tasty foods. They represent a year full of brightness and abundance.
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